What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Hachi]

Well I'm having a season of it for sure.

I noticed, when watching my two hives in my garden, bee's going into the stack of "spares" in the corner. I've stood and watched and bugger me a swarm must have moved in and by the look of it, they've been there a while. This is despite me putting out a bait hive this year.

Will nothing go right

Tonight's sit down has gone as I've now got to shift that swarm

 

[JWF]

I've had two capped supers over a clearer board and floor (no longer on the hive they came from) which is something that has worked well for me in the past.

It's been there since Sunday so should have been totally clear by now, but blow me it was full of bees. It came from a hive that had queen cells in it which I split - I assume that there was also a queen cell in the bottom super which I didn't check when I did the split. They've had the clearer board removed and a brood box with drawn frames plonked on top, and I'll switch the order round when the queen moves up.

Blooming bees must have taken an egg through the Qx and plonked it in the super. Will know for sure when I have chance to go through them properly, but as there's presumably a virgin queen in there I will give them a while before I do a full inspection.

 

[Beefriendly]

I've had two capped supers over a clearer board and floor .

Why a floor?
What type of clearer board were you using?

 

[JWF]

Why a floor?
What type of clearer board were you using?

The clearer board is a homemade rhombus type clearer. I clear the supers off the hive to stop the bees figuring out a way back through the clearer (and making extracting altogether more pleasurable as a result!), and the floor just gives a bit of space for the bees to drop into as they come through the clearer.

 

[Beefriendly]

The clearer board is a homemade rhombus type clearer. I clear the supers off the hive to stop the bees figuring out a way back through the clearer (and making extracting altogether more pleasurable as a result!), and the floor just gives a bit of space for the bees to drop into as they come through the clearer.

Not sure I'm reading you right, but you move the supers away from hive you are clearing from or you are using a floor that prevents them dropping back into their original hive? Strange way to do things, if I may say so. The bees don't really figure out how to get back inside the clearer's in the short time they are in place. A few bees will always remain regardless.
I use rhombus clearer boards and also 8 way escapes....technique is if 2 supers to clear then add two empty to make sure they have their space back, then clearer board (NO floor) and supers to clear above. Go back next day ....Job done.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Blooming bees must have taken an egg through the Qx and plonked it in the super. Will know for sure when I have chance to go through them properly, but as there's presumably a virgin queen in there I will give them a while before I do a full inspection.

Tom Bick and I have been having a discussion about this elsewhere after I found a few queen cells in the middle( of three) super over a re-queening hive. I took them down thinking they were queen cells and checked the brood box to make sure all was well. Tom is adamant they are drone larvae laid by workers.
Today, a week later I found another in the same spot but sealed. Inside was a drone larva disconnected from the royal jelly at the base of the cell.

 

[Beefriendly]

Tom is adamant they are drone larvae laid by workers.
Today, a week later I found another in the same spot but sealed. Inside was a drone larva disconnected from the royal jelly at the base of the cell.

The worker policing sometimes goes wrong above the QX, particularly in big colonies.
But beekeeper sees eggs and assumes the bees have moved therm or that there is a hole in QX .The later does happen.

 

[JWF]

I'll inspect next week so I'll be able to find out if there's a viable queen in there or whether the bees are just getting themselves in a tiswas over a drone cell

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Started training the fourth generation.
She's not mine, my sister's - less messy that way and you can send the buggers home at the end of the day

 

[Newbeeneil]

Noticed one of my bait hives with bees going in and out so assumed I have a swarm in there.
I normally set out my bait hives with one old brood comb against one wall an three foundationless frames in the centre. It's always work like a dream before as I can normally transfer the swarm into a nuc after a couple of days by transferring the foundationless frames into a nuc with additional frames.
So today I went in for a peek only to find the bees had totally ignored all the frames and built their comb off the crown board!
Looks like a cut out next week!!!!

 

[Angry_Mob]

Another day of firsts, I've lasted just under two weeks short of a year of beekeeping without being stung. That ended and I manged to get stung four times. First of all on the chin, then the nose, then the finger and then the arm. I'm sort of relived as I know now I'm not allergic and there is barely any swelling. There was a fair bit of thunder which maybe made them mad today.

The two buckfast queens that I introduced on Wednesday don't seem to have been accepted yet; one was in one hive which I learnt was now Q+ and which I finally managed to capture and mark after much searching. I removed the buckie queen and made up another nuc and this time took a frame of capped brood from my main hive and put her under a push in introduction cage I did the same for the other queen as well. I will check back in a few days.

 

[Millet]

Another day of firsts, I've lasted just under two weeks short of a year of beekeeping without being stung. That ended and I manged to get stung four times. First of all on the chin, then the nose, then the finger and then the arm. I'm sort of relived as I know now I'm not allergic and there is barely any swelling. There was a fair bit of thunder which maybe made them mad today.

The two buckfast queens that I introduced on Wednesday don't seem to have been accepted yet; one was in one hive which I learnt was now Q+ and which I finally managed to capture and mark after much searching. I removed the buckie queen and made up another nuc and this time took a frame of capped brood from my main hive and put her under a push in introduction cage I did the same for the other queen as well. I will check back in a few days.

I don't understand what is going on here, but surely if you get New Queen's they should be marked. ?

 

[Angry_Mob]

I don't understand what is going on here, but surely if you get New Queen's they should be marked. ?

It was Q+ from my AMM queen. The new queen has only started laying.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

but surely if you get New Queen's they should be marked. ?

Not necessarily

 

[Millet]

It was Q+ from my AMM queen. The new queen has only started laying.

Ah so you have your own Mated Queen, i thought you had bought a Queen in that was not marked..

 

[beeno]

Harvesting my first lot of spring honey and very nice it is too even if I say so myself.

 

[Goran]

Yesterday was dealing with one really nasty.. Requeening with a fork ( for its drone brood).. When few turn to be such.. and I have time and assets I dethrone such queen. Since our bees are known for calmness.. I blame our negative selection ( " angry bees bring more honey") and illegal imports..

 

[JWF]

Now that looks like a brutal colony Goran, I'd be tempted to pour petrol into it!

 

[Goran]

Now that looks like a brutal colony Goran, I'd be tempted to pour petrol into it!

It is not nice but seems their aggressiveness transferred to me, I had to remind myself - they are not to blame. So I worked even more slowly while they attack wave after wave.. At the end I prayed for a queen and remove her.
So if some beek has only aggressive colonies - how he can inspect them.. with each inspection thousands die by stinging beekeeper.. Maybe (sado)masochist?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Hived two nucs - queens mated a fortnight ago, now all six frames choc a bloc with BIAS